Not So Imaginary Friend
by Chereche
Summary: Riley Matthews has gotten herself an imaginary friend that may not be that imaginary...


"Guess what, honey?" Cory asked, seconds after Topanga entered their apartment.

"Hello to you too Cory," she quipped, "my day was pretty good. How was yours?"

"Yeah yeah yeah," he said excitedly, patting the couch, beckoning her over to him. "Guess what."

"What?" she inquired, playing along with it for now.

"Riley's got an imaginary friend," he gushed.

"She does?" she said in surprise, "she's moved on from Mr. Bear Bear?"

"Apparently so."

"What's this friend's name?" Topanga asked, intrigued now.

"Maya," Cory answered. "She came out and asked for two grilled cheese sandwiches and apple and orange juice since Maya doesn't like apple."

"You gave our child two glasses of juice," Topanga said, "And she's not bouncing off the roof?"

"Oh she seemed fine," he answered dismissively. "She played in there with Maya for the entire afternoon."

"No horsey?"

"No horsey for me!" he confirmed cheerfully. "I don't know how long this imaginary friend thing is going to last, honey, but if it saves my back, I'm going to enjoy it until she goes away."

Riley spoke more and more about Maya everyday, much to their amusement. It seemed like Riley really believed in her friend wholeheartedly, and Topanga had to admit she was a bit impressed by how imaginative their daughter was. Maya lived with her parents and grandmother in east New York, loved tuna melt sandwiches (and where did she learn that from) and hated yelling. Cory's mother had seemed a bit concerned when Cory had mentioned that little tidbit, but overall Topanga dismissed it simply as being an only child syndrome, something she thought with a secretive smile, that would be rectified soon enough.

* * *

It was a Saturday morning, and a beautiful one at that. Topanga decided that since Riley had been such a good girl that week with Cory, she would surprise her with a trip to get some cotton candy and ice-cream. She couldn't wait to see the happy look that would cross her face.

"Riley!" she sing-songed, opening her bedroom door, "honey let's go for-" She stopped abruptly as two girls, yes two girls, looked up at her with varying expressions. One girl, her daughter, the only one that should be in the apartment was just surprised, while the second girl...Maya she concluded, looked at her warily even as she started to edge herself backwards toward the bay window.

"Riley," Topanga said calmly, and in a friendly tone, "Is this...Maya?"

"Yes she is," Riley confirmed cheerfully. "I told you, she comes through the bay window-"

"Everyday," the lawyer finished lamely. She shook her head before looking at the blonde haired girl who seemed to be trying to decide if she should just make a run for it. "Hey Maya," she said in her friendliest tone, "My name's Topanga Matthews, I'm Riley's mom."

"I saw the picture," the girl replied, pointing at a family picture on Riley's wall. "I'm just going to go..."

"You don't have to," Topanga said quickly, and the girl looked at her in both confusion and surprise. "I came in here to take Riley out for ice cream and candy. Do you want to come to?"

"Candy!" Riley gushed, jumping up to her feet. "I need to wash my hands," she sang running out the room.

"Me too?" Maya asked, suspicion still in her tone.

Topango took in her demeanour carefully, the caution in her eyes, the roughness to her voice and the way that, even now, she was still angling herself toward the window. There was a worldliness to the little girl in front of her that made her seem so much older than her own daughter, and reminded her tremendously of someone she knew - Shawn. She swallowed, and in that moment knew that this little girl could quickly become the most important person in her daughter's life, if she handled this correctly.

"Of course," she said, although her voice lost its cheerful edge. "If you're going to be here everyday, I think we should get to know each other, shouldn't we?"

"What's your game here?" she asked, suspiciously.

Topanga crouched down so that she seemed less threatening. "There's no game here Maya. It just seems to me that you can use a friend...and I know Riley does."

"She's a lot of work," Maya admitted and Topanga couldn't help but snort at that.

"She got that from her father."

"You're not going to stop me from coming in here?"

"I'm not ging to do that," she confirmed, "although I'll introduce you to this little thing called a front door. You can use it too - you don't have to sneak in."

"Okay," Maya agreed, and to Topanga's relief, the girl visibly relaxed.

"So, about that ice cream?"

"Sure, why not," Maya agreed, coming over, "I get to choose my flavour? I don't think I like rainbow ice cream."

"Of course you can," Topanga confirmed, standing and offering her hand to the girl who, after a few seconds took it, "only Riley and my husband do. Come on," she bid, leading her out the room, "let's go introduce my husband to Riley's imaginary friend."

They would be having a long conversation that night about how a stranger had gotten into their house every day that week without him noticing, but for now, she would just settle for laughing at the look on his face when he met Maya.


End file.
